Artistic coach

Artistic coaches research, plan, organise and lead arts activities for sport practitioners in order to provide them with artistic abilities such as dance, acting, expression and transmission that are important for their sport performance. Artistic coaches make technical, performatic or artistic abilities accessible to sports practitioners with the goal of improving their sport performance.

Includes dancer, dance teacher, actor/actress, scene directors, etc.
Includes people performing rhythmic gymnastics, artistic gymnastics, artistic skaters and synchronised swimmers. Includes people working in diverse contexts.

The following job titles also refer to artistic coach:

actor
ballet coach
dancer
acting coach
ballet teacher
actress
dance teacher
dance coach

The working conditions of an artistic coach can vary depending on their specialty and clients. They work with people of all ages, from children to adults, in various fields of art, including music, dance, theater, painting, and sculpture. They may work in a variety of settings, including schools, studios, community centers, and private homes. They may work full-time or part-time, depending on their workload and availability. The work can be physically demanding, especially for coaches who specialize in dance or theater.

Artistic coaches typically have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in their area of specialization, such as music, dance, theater, or art. They may also have completed certification programs in coaching or teaching. Experience in the arts is also essential, as coaches need to be knowledgeable about the techniques and skills required to excel in their field. Good communication and interpersonal skills are also important for building a rapport with clients and helping them achieve their artistic goals.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Artistic coach is a Skill level 3 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to artistic coach.

fight director
followspot operator
dresser
scenic painter
video technician

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of artistic coach. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of artistic coach with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

choreologist
choreographer
dancer
dance répétiteur
répétiteur

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of artistic coach.

• Be in touch with your body: The key aspects of applied anatomy, psychology, nutrition, physiology, and psychosocial studies and how they relate to the self-awareness of one’s body. 

These skills are necessary for the role of artistic coach.

• Assess your competences for artistic coaching: Evaluate your skill in artistic coaching. Identify which of your abilities may be advantageous to sports practitioners, whether they come from your artistic discipline or from other experience. Express your capabilities and communicate about them in a person-centred way.
• Collaborate with coaching team: Collaborate as a specialist in a coaching team in order to maximise the sport practitioner’s performance.
• Manage participants’ expectations: Build trust and relationships with all stakeholders. Articulate how your artistic discipline (dance, music, theater, visual arts…) can variously benefit, and support the needs and aspirations of, individuals and communities. Manage expectations of people involved once the community arts programme is designed or being designed. Be as clear as possible in the scoping stage to build trust between yourself, your potential groups, and funders. Be aware of social agendas, specially in government funded programs.
• Provide arts coaching sessions: Devise and deliver arts activities that enhance the sport performance of practitioners while protect the health and safety of yourself and participants to be able to draw out the most effective performance during competition.
• Maintain safe working conditions in performing arts: Verify the technical aspects of your workspace, costumes, props, etc. Eliminate potential hazards in your work space or performance. Intervene actively in cases of accidents or illness.
• Manage personal professional development: Take responsibility for lifelong learning and continuous professional development. Engage in learning to support and update professional competence. Identify priority areas for professional development based on reflection about own practice and through contact with peers and stakeholders.
• Work with respect for own safety: Apply the safety rules according to training and instruction and based on a solid understanding of the prevention measures and risks to your own personal health and safety.
• Define artistic approach: Define your own artistic approach by analysing your previous work and your expertise, identifying the components of your creative signature, and starting from these explorations to describe your artistic vision.
• Work with broad variety of personalities: Be flexible and work with a broad mix of personalities.
• Manage artistic career: Present yourself and your artistic approach. Position your work in target markets. Promote and market yourself and your oeuvre.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of artistic coach. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

• Work in an international environment: Guide your career to an international level which often requires the ability to interact, relate and communicate with individuals from different cultures.
• Inspire enthusiasm for dance: Encourage and enable people, especially children, to become involved in dance and to understand and appreciate it, either privately or in public contexts.
• Manage artistic project: Manage an artistic project. Determine project needs. Establish partnerships. Manage the budget, schedule, contractual agreements and assess the project.
• Inspire dance participants to improve: Inspire your group of participants in your sessions through embodied understanding of dance and dance-making. Demonstrate dance movements regarding a correct body alignment, and applied anatomical knowledge in relationship to the dance styles you lead.
• Show intercultural awareness: Show sensibility towards cultural differences by taking actions which facilitate positive interaction between international organisations, between groups or individuals of different cultures, and to promote integration in a community.
• Teach dance: Instruct students in the theory and practice of dance, recreationally or with the aim of assisting them in pursuing a future career in this field. Deliver correcting instructions that support difference and pay attention to ethical codes of conduct around touch, personal space, and appropriate pedagogic methods as a tool to foster participants.

3422 – Sports coaches, instructors and officials

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References

1. Artistic coach – ESCO
2. Featured image: Photo by Budgeron Bach from Pexels